Military Families

With a population of 1.5 million active duty military members, each day around the globe, there are an estimated 540,000 active duty sponsors each caring for a family member with special medical or educational needs. Parents of children with special needs face many challenges and these challenges are compounded when the family concerned is military.

While all military families face certain challenges such as frequent moves/military member being placed in harm’s way/deployments, our families with special needs family members face additional difficulties.

Listed below are some local and national resources to help military families.

Moving to a new location can sure disrupt your life! For any family this can be a time of chaos. For a family with a child who has special needs, the confusion can be particularly stressful. nTo avoid some of the less desirable “adventures,” it may be a good idea to map out your strategy before you move. This is especially important regarding school and your child’s special education needs.

STOMP, a parent-directed project exists to empower military parents, individuals with disabilities, and service providers with knowledge, skills, and resources …so that they might access services to create a collaborative environment for family and professional partnerships without regard to geographic location. it is a project of PAVE

Children of military families face many challenges when a parent has been deployed due to a military conflict. In addition to the usual concerns and fears children experience when a parent is not present in the home, children of a military parent may also have to make adjustments when that parent returns home.

From Pacer.org: Military families have unique needs when a parent is deployed or is returning from active duty, especially if they have a child struggling with mental health issues. For this child, the stress of an absent parent may result in increased emotional or behavioral issues. Your family can often ease the difficult transitions of military life and help your child adjust if you know what to look for and what to do.

Branch is a parent technical assistance center for military families which includes a variety of resources. This is the link for the region covering Utah.